Campaigners demanded a push for "zero waste"

Shiona Baird of the Scottish Greens told MSPs that it was all very well having recycling targets.

She said it would be even better for the environment and for jobs if products were designed from the beginning to be repaired and recycled.

But MSPs backed a Scottish Executive amendment urging ministers to continue efforts to cut waste.

Ms Baird said the "zero waste" policy worked well in countries like Canada and New Zealand.

Greens have accused ministers of an "abysmal" record on encouraging business to minimise its use of resources.

They urged the Scottish Cabinet to go beyond simply seeking new ways to deal with Scotland's "growing waste mountain" and concerns over landfill and incineration sites.

Enterprise spokeswoman Ms Baird said: "Zero waste is not just about more recycling and composting, but a fundamental shift from an historically narrow focus on waste management to a comprehensive approach to managing resources and eliminating waste.

'Municipal waste'

"In adopting zero waste, we're talking about increasing efficiency, cutting costs and saving resources," she added.

Deputy Enterprise Minister Lewis Macdonald insisted Scotland's waste policies were starting from "a long way back".

He said: "We need to get to a position where we are effectively improving our recycling record, we are effectively making use of resources properly and we are reducing the amount of municipal waste sent to landfill."

Tories demanded that powers to tackle rubbish should be switched to Scotland's councils.

Spokesman, Alex Johnstone, said: "There seems to be a great deal of evidence in other countries that where individuals have to pay for their waste, the amount produced can be radically reduced very quickly."

Richard Lochhead of the Scottish National Party called for all the powers required to achieve "zero waste" to be transferred from Westminster to Holyrood.

"This parliament has no power over junk mail for instance, no power over research and development, we've got no power over tax breaks and all the other carrot and stick approaches we could use," he said.

Watchdogs from the Accounts Commission found earlier this year that local authorities were struggling to reach national targets on recycling.